Resign if you have nothing to offer, PDP hits Garba Shehu over ‘Mainagate’

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has advised Garba Shehu, spokesman to President Muhammadu Buhari, to resign if he has “nothing more to contribute in government”.

The party said this in reaction to Shehu’s claim that Abdulrasheed Maina, ex-chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), was reinstated into the federal civil service through the “invisible hands” of Goodluck Jonathan’s loyalists.

Shehu had denied claims by Maina’s family that the ex-pension boss was recalled by the current administration and said he (Maina) was part of the “mess” left behind by the PDP.

Reacting, the PDP said the presidential spokesman has lost the capacity for rational thinking.

Dayo Adeyeye, the opposition party’s spokesman, in a statement on Thursday described Shehu’s comments as absurd.

“We are not surprised on the postulation by Alhaji Garba Shehu in which he blamed the former administration of Goodluck Jonathan as being responsible for the return of fugitive Abdulrasheed Maina. This is to say the least the height of absurdity,” the party said.

“The shenanigans surrounding the return of Maina who was under investigation and sacked by the previous administration of PDP is an issue Nigerians are privy to and even Maina’s immediate family have come out openly with their position that President Buhari was responsible for his return.

“May we, therefore, remind Garba Shehu in case he has forgotten, that the current administration is that of the APC and not PDP, so we wonder how PDP will be responsible for the mess created by President Buhari and his cabal.”

The PDP restated its call on the federal government to investigate those behind Maina’s reinstatement and bring them to justice “because Nigerians are tired of excuses and blame game”.

It said the idea of blaming “every misdemeanour” on previous administration shows a failure to deliver on promises, adding that: “It’s time Garba Shehu and his likes resigned if they have nothing more to contribute in government.

“Finally, we urge the APC led government to re-evaluate the inclusion of the likes of Garba Shehu in the administration.

“A man who is fixated on blaming each and every mistake of this government on the PDP has certainly run out of ideas, and must even have lost the capacity for rational thinking. We wonder the damage he may be causing to this country with his continuous stay as an assistant to the president”.